Roadies & Rhodies

I think I mentioned before that I joined the Master Gardener program through the UNH Cooperative Extension.  It has been a great way for me to scratch my gardening itch while keeping my won't power intact here at TOPH.  I have pledged not to do any serious gardening here at TOPH until Spring 2013.  But, I will say that I am kind of enjoying living vicariously for awhile.  I feel like a roadie.  And I'm following this band of talented folks who are doing all that I can't right now -- just kind of soaking it all in and nodding enthusiastically.

In the meantime, I am doing a minor gardening project.  I am getting away with it only because it pertains to grading and drainage and foundation-saving.

We have these two enormous Rhododendrons.  They are on the west side of TOPH between the kitchen door and driveway.  The trunks are 8" in diameter and they are each about 8' wide and 8' high.  When we visited TOPH in the late Spring they were gorgeous.  Massive, multiple blooms of a pleasant not-pink, not-purple hue.

Unfortunately, they were planted too close to the foundation and their root balls sit a little higher grade-wise than I would prefer for healthy drainage and sill-health.  Sad, but they need to go. 

Moving large bushes has its risks, but, the way I see it, these rhodies owe us nothing. We bought the house and they came along for the ride -- free parking as it were. Now we just have to figure out how to reassign their parking places without killing them.

We covered  planting and transplantation in Master Gardener class, but I had a feeling that our well-established monster-Rhodies might require some more creative attention.  I was right, according to Michael Garrity (Garden Works LLC & Blueberry Gardens Organic), an expert on perennials and ornamentals, we're "going to have break some rules and make it ugly, before it can be pretty.  Patience is key."

His advice was to prune them hard, selectively stripping off all outer new growth and buds, then cut a trench in around the root balls this Fall, then finish digging them out and moving them in the early Spring, as soon as the frost lifts.  Finally, once they are relocated and dug in nicely (with root ball flare safely above grade -- that's one of his big campaigns), then I am supposed to prune all of the massive (now-budless) growth off the outside and let the inner buds and branches go nuts.  Sounds reasonable.  That way all the inner stuff will be protected this winter and through the move.  We shall see.

Pruning a Rhodie in the Fall is a no-no, usually.  And doughnut trenching around bushes has some real downsides, but this is a special circumstance and Mike seemed to have a rhyme to his reason.  Something about helping the plant to conserve energy, kick-starting some close-in root growth, and looking forward to a spectacular bloom (if they live) in the Spring of 2013 in their new locale.  OK.


So, I have now selectively pruned all of their outer growth and extremities.  The inner buds look very promising!  OK, maybe that's wishful thinking... And I also took out all the dead twiggy stuff to eliminate harmful pest habitat.  That was my idea, but it seemed like good, basic IPM (integrated pest management) practice to me.

I have to admit they look kind of sad at the moment -- sort of like a long-haired cat after a bath.  I still have to do the trenching, but the weathers been rather soggy lately.  I think I will wait until there is more dirt and less mud to slog though for that little task.  The digging will be hard and I will have my bot cutters in-hand as the root system on these puppies is fibrous and thick and woody with no fine hairy stuff.  Quite ingeneious, really.  That's how come they are so acid-loving (-tolerant).  No fine, hairy roots.  Just the smart ones with uptake sensors.  It's really fascinating.  They are closely related to blueberry bushes in that way, you know.

In the meantime, I am chanting words of encouragement to the granite foundation wall nearest to these impinging root balls.  I'm sure it will be fine until spring with the bushes can be safely moved and the small door yard there can be regraded and planted with some storm-water-sucker-uppers.  We will be paying close attention to rooting distance and spacing relative to the house and driveway, as well as appropriate root-ball-to-grade depth assignment.  Right-O!  I'm thinking red twig dogwoods on an island in a drainage pond... Wait, the hubby is wholly opposed to the p-word.  So we'll call it a kidney shaped sub-grade catch basin with appropriate outflow, landscaping and aeration.  And frogs.  Yep, that's it!